Wednesday, November 16, 2011

The Return of the Subjunctive -- a poem

This poem was featured recently on Garrison Keillor's Writers' Almanac:

The Return of the Subjunctive

Oh, the Subjunctive,May it make its bold return!May
it ride back proudIn liveried coach,May its two fine horses snortAnd
paw the ground, And, escorted by its staunchAttendants If and
Whether,May it descend in velvet cloakAnd black-gloved handThe
lacquered steps of hopeAnd happenstance.May it fix upon us its
deepUncertain gaze!I shall be there to greet itThough my
companyBe small and moody.I shall beg it stayAnd may its presence
giveSome respite from the steely glareOf Indicative, a mantle to shield
usFrom Passive's clammy chill.May it light again the landBetween the
world that wasAnd is, and that which still might be,And may we tread
again desire'sLeaf-dappled pathOf possibility.